Say it ain’t so, NBA

OK, I’m exaggerating just a tad bit here, but I’m referring to the feeling of not watching the NBA (in person or otherwise) this upcoming season due to the silly lockout that is taking magnificent breaths as you read this.

No one truly knows when it’ll end, but I’m already preparing for an entire season without the NBA. To keep me sane from not being able to enjoy the one sport I’ve enjoyed since I was in elementary school (perhaps even earlier than that), I’ve made a list of all the things I can do if an NBA lockout cancels the entire 2011-12 season:

· Read Bill Simmon’s epic masterpiece “The Book of Basketball: According to The Sports Guy,” which might just make me miss basketball even more; and

· Learn to appreciate hockey.

OK, OK. I can’t think of more than three ideas while the NBA takes a break.

It’s almost inconceivable to think that the NBA won’t be a part of my life for some nine months or more.

The NBA has filled endless hours between my friends and I, with most of the talks involving some sort of top 10 list. It’s one of the easiest sports to understand and the most exciting to follow, because of all the spectacular moments it produces, from dunks to buzzer-beaters.

Of course, the lockout doesn’t just affect me. How about the kids? The ones who look up to the NBA players as role models. How about the basketball players in the Turlock area? The ones who use NBA players as a template for their game.

Let’s hope the NBA figures this out, soon.

Let’s hope we don’t miss an entire season, as some have predicted.

Let’s hope the numbers and figures and the millions of dollars involved will be settled and we can return to our regular lives. That’s right — either sitting in front of the TV or watching the NBA in person.